Catheter with self-aligning inflation passage

ABSTRACT

A self-aligning catheter having a drainage tube and connector. The tube has a drainage lumen extending from the proximal end of the tube to a drainage eye adjacent the distal end of the tube, and an inflation lumen in the tube wall extending from the proximal end of the tube to a retention balloon adjacent the distal end of the tube. The connector has an annular sleeve at one end defining a bore of a diameter approximately equal to the outside diameter of the drainage tube, and has an annular shoulder extending from the sleeve defining a drainage lumen. The shoulder has an annular slot extending circumferentially around the shoulder lumen and extending longitudinally in the shoulder from the sleeve bore, and the slot is spaced from the inside surface of the sleeve a distance approximately equal to the distance between the inflation lumen and the outside surface of the tube. The proximal end of the tube is received in the sleeve bore such that the tube and shoulder lumens are aligned with each other, and the shoulder slot and inflation lumen are in communication. The connector also includes an inflation arm extending from the connector and having a passageway communicating with the shoulder slot in order that the arm passageway communicates with the retention balloon through the slot and inflation lumen.

United States Patent 1 Patel CATHETER WITH SELF-ALIGNING INFLATION PASSAGE [75] Inventor: Bhupendra C. Patel, Elgin, Ill.

[73] Assignee: The Kendall Company, Walpole,

Mass.

[22] Filed: Dec. 22, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 210,901

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 11/1959 Keough 128/349 B 5/1968 Harautuneian 128/349 BV 3,467,103 9/1969 McKinstry et al.... 128/349 B 3,547,126 12/1970 Birtwell 128/349 B 3,577,992 5/1971 Merry et al... 128/349 BV 3,602,228 8/1971 Cowley 128/349 B Primary Examiner-Charles F. Rosenbaum Att0rneyRobert D. Chodera [57] ABSTRACT A self-aligning catheter having a drainage tube and WWI/4 M [451 July 3,1973

connector. The tube has a drainage lumen extending from the proximal end of the tube to a drainage eye adjacent the distal end of the tube, and an inflation lumen in the tube wall extending from the proximal end of the tube to a retention balloon adjacent the distal end of the tube. The connector has an annular sleeve at one end defining a bore of a diameter approximately equal to the outside diameter of the drainage tube. and has an annular shoulder extending from the sleeve defining a drainage lumen. The shoulder has an annular slot extending circumferentially around the shoulder lumen and extending longitudinally in the shoulder from the sleeve bore, and the slot is spaced from the inside surface of the sleeve a distance approximately equal to the distance between the inflation lumen and the outside surface of the tube. The proximal end of the tube is received in the sleeve bore such that the tube and shoulder lumens are aligned with each other, and the shoulder slot and inflation lumen are in communication. The connector also includes an inflation arm extending from the connector and having a passageway communicating with the shoulder slot in order that the arm passageway communicates with the retention balloon through the slot and inflation lumen.

5 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENIEDJULS ms 3. 742,959

SHEET 2 [IF 2 CATHETER WITH SELF-ALIGNING INFLATION PASSAGE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to catheters, and more particularly to catheters having an interconnected drainage tube and connector.

2. Description of the Prior Art With the recent advent of plastic catheters, it has become increasingly difficult to make the catheters from a single piece. Consequently, it is desirable to make a drainage tube and connector separately, and then join the two parts together to form the catheter. Generally, in such a catheter, the drainage tube has an inflation lumen in the wall of the tube extending from its proximal end to a retention balloon adjacent its distal end, and the connector has a valve for inflating and deflating the balloon. However, a problem has arisen in connecting the parts such that the inflation lumen of the tube communicates with the'valve, and Harautuneian U.S. Pat. No. 3,385,301 proposes as a solution the use of a thin section of tube which is inserted into the inflation lumen and into a channel in the connector leading to the valve. However, difficulty may be encountered in assembling such a catheter, since the inflation lumen and channel leading to the valve must be aligned during assembly, and the small tube must be inserted into the inflation lumen and the channel while the parts are being joined together.

Colburn US. Pat. No. 3,112,748 shows a connector having an integral tube which is inserted into an inflation lumen. Cowley U.S. Pat. No. 3,602,228 discloses a catheter having a connector which communicates with an inflation lumen in a catheter tube through a hole in the side of the tube.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A principal feature of the present invention is the provision of a catheter having an interconnectable drainage tube and connector in which fluid communication between a valve in the connector and a retention balloon in the tube is established in a simplified manner.

The drainage tube of the catheter of the present invention has a drainage eye adjacent the distal end of the tube, a drainage lumen extending from the proximal end of the tube to the drainage eye, and an inflation lumen in the wall of the tube extending from the proximal end of the tube to the retention balloon adjacent the distal end of the tube. The connector includes an annular sleeve at one end of the connector which defines a bore having a diameter approximately equal to the outside diameter of the tube, and an annular shoulder extending from the sleeve defining a drainage lumen. The shoulder has a annular slot extending circumferentially around the shoulder lumen and extending longitudinally in the shoulder from the sleeve bore, and the slot is spaced from the inside surface of the sleeve a distance approximately equal to the distance between the inflation lumen and the outside surface of the tube. The connector also has an inflation arm extending from the connector and having a passageway which communicates between the valve and the shoulder slot.

A feature of the present invention is that the proximal end of the tube is received in the sleeve bore such that the tube and shoulder lumens are aligned and communicate with each other. I

Another feature of the invention is that the shoulder slot communicates with the inflation lumen when the tube is received in the connector sleeve irrespective of the rotational position of the inflation lumen relative to the connector.

Yet another feature of the invention is that the proximal end of the catheter tube terminates in a planar edge which abuts against the connector shoulder to cover the end of the slot adjacent the bore and prevent leakage of fluid from the slot into the bore.

Still another feature of the invention is that the valve communicates with the retention balloon through the passageway, shoulder slot and inflation lumen.

Further features will become more fully apparent in the following description of the embodiments of this invention and from the appended claims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view, taken partly in section, of the self-aligning catheter of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary elevational view, taken partly in section, of a drainage tube and connector of the catheter FIG. 1 prior to being interconnected with each other;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary end elevational view of the connector taken substantially as indicated along the line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an end elevational view of the tube taken substantially as indicated along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view, taken partly in section, of a drainage tube and connector of another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary end elevational view of the connector taken substantially along the line 66 of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary side elevational view, taken partly in section, of the drainage tube and connector of FIG. 5 as interconnected with each other.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to FIG. 1, a catheter, generally designated 20, is shown having an interconnected drainage tube designated generally 22 and a connector designated generally 24. The drainage tube 22 and connector 24 may be made of any suitable material, such as rubber, but preferably the drainage tube is extruded from a plastic material, and the connector 24 is molded from a plastic material, such as polyvinyl chloride.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, the drainage tube 22 has a drainage lumen 26 extending from the proximal end 28 of the tube to a drainage eye 30 adjacent the distal end 29 of the tube. The tube 22 also has an inflation lumen 32 which extends from the proximal end 28 of the tube to a retention balloon 34 adjacent the distal end 29 of the tube, and the inflation lumen 32 communicates with a cavity 36 in the balloon 34 through an opening 38. The proximal end 28 of the tube terminates in a planar edge 64.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, the connector 24 has an annular sleeve 40 at one end of the connector which defines a cylindrically shaped bore 42 having a diameter approximately equal to the outside diameter of the tube 22, in order that the proximal end 28 of the tube 22 may be received in the sleeve bore 42. The connector has an annular shoulder 44 extending from the sleeve 40 defining a drainage lumen 46 which is generally aligned with and communicates with the tube lumen 26 when the proximal end 28 of the tube 22 is received in the sleeve bore 42. The shoulder 44 also has an annular slot 48 which extends circumferentially around the shoulder lumen 46 and which extends longitudinally in the shoulder from the sleeve bore 42, such that one end of the slot communicates with the bore. The slot 48 is spaced from the inner surface 50 of the sleeve 40 a distance approximately equal to the distance between the inflation lumen 32 and the outside surface 52 of the tube 22. Preferably, the lateral width of the shoulder slot 48 is approximately equal to the diameter of the inflation lumen 32. The connector 24 also includes an annular tongue 54 extending from the shoulder 44 into the sleeve bore 42 with the tongue 54 defining an extension of the shoulder lumen 46. The outside diameter of the tongue 54 is approximately equal to the inside diameter of the tube lumen 26, in order that the tongue 54 is received in the lumen 26 when the proximal end 28 of the tube 22 is inserted into the sleeve bore 42 between the tongue and sleeve 54 and 40, respectively.

The connector 24 has an inflation arm 56 extending from the connector and having a passageway 58 communicating between the shoulder slot 48 and a valve designated generally 60 at the outer end of the arm 56.

Finally, the connector 24 has an enlarged hollow portion 62 at one end which may be connected to liquid collection apparatus (not shown) for receiving liquid draining from the catheter 20.

The catheter tube and connector 22 and 24 are interconnected by inserting the proximal end 28 of the tube 22 into the sleeve bore 42 and between the outer surface of the tongue 54 and the inner surface 50 of the sleeve 40 until the planar edge 64 of the tube 22 abuts against the shoulder 44. Thus, after interconnection of the tube and connector, communication is automatically established between the inflation lumen 32 and the shoulder slot 48 irrespective of the rotational position of the inflation lumen relative to the connector, since the shoulder slot extends circumferentially in the shoulder and is aligned with the inflation lumen in any rotational position of the tube. Further, the planar edge 64 of the tube 22 covers the open end of the circumferentially extending slot 48 to prevent'leakage from the slot into the bore 42. As previously described, the tongue 54 is received in the drainage lumen 26 of the tube 22, and fluid communication is established between the drainage lumen 26 and the hollow enlarged portion 62 through the lumen 46. Moreover, the tongue 54 additionally insures against leakage from the slot into the drainage lumen 26 of the tube 22 when the tube and connector are joined together. Preferably, the

tongue 54 and sleeve 50 frictionally engage the tube 22, but if desired, the tube and connector 22 and 24 may be secured together by additional means, such as by adhesive or heat sealing.

Another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIGS, 5-7, which is similar in most respects to the catheter as described in connection with FIGS. 1-4. However, in this embodiment the tongue 54 is omitted from the connector 24, and the proximal end 28 of the tube 22 abuts against the connector shoulder 44 without receiving such a tongue in the lumen 26 of the tube 22. in the previous embodiment, the connector lumen 46 necessarily had a slightly smaller diameter than the tube lumen 26, since the tongue 54 defining an end portion of the lumen 46 was received in the tube lumen 26. However, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5-7, the shoulder lumen 46 may have a diameter approximately equal to the tube lumen 26, in order that an uninterrupted drainage lumen is formed which extends from the tube 22 into the enlarged hollow portion 62, as shown in FIG. 7. In use of the catheter, the distal end 29 of the catli'- ter 20 is inserted into the hollow cavity in a patients body, and fluid flows through the drainage eye into the tube lumen 26, through the shoulder lumen 46, the hollow enlarged portion 62 and into apparatus (not shown) for collecting the liquid. However, it is desirable to retain the catheter within the body cavity, and accordingly the balloon 34 is inflated within the body cavity to hold the catheter in place. To accomplish this result, fluid is injected through the valve 60, the arm passageway 58, the slot 48, and inflation lumen 32, and into the retention balloon 34 causing the balloon to inflate. Deflation of the balloon 34 is accomplished through the valve 60 in a manner similar to inflation.

The foregoing detailed description is given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, as modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

I claim: 1. A self-aligning catheter comprising: a drainage tube including,

a drainage eye adjacent the distal end of the tube, a drainage lumen extending from the proximal end of the tube to the drainage eye, a retention balloon adjacent the distal end of the tube, and an inflation lumen in the wall of the tube extending from the proximal end of the tube to the retention balloon; and a connector including,

an annular sleeve at one end of the connector and defining a bore having a diameter approximately equal to the outside diameter of the tube, said sleeve receiving and frictionally engaging the proximal end of the tube in the bore, an annular shoulder extending from the sleeve and having a drainage lumen generally aligned with the tube lumen when the tube is received in the sleeve, an annular slot extending circumferentially around the shoulder lumen and extending longitudinally in the shoulder from the sleeve bore, said slot being spaced from the inner surface of the sleeve a distance approximately equal to the distance between the inflation lumen and the outside surface of the tube, whereby the shoulder slot communicates with the inflation lumen when the tube is received in the sleeve irrespective of the rotational position of the inflation lumen relative to the connector, and an inflation arm extending from the connector and having a passageway communicating with the shoulder slot, whereby the arm passageway communicates with the retention balloon through the slot'and inflation lumen when the tube is received in the connector sleeve.

shape.

5. The catheter of claim 1 wherein said connector includes an annular tongue extending from the shoulder into the sleeve bore and defining an extension of the shoulder lumen, said tongue having an outside diameter approximately equal to the inside diameter of the tube lumen, whereby the proximal end of the tube is received intermediate the sleeve and tongue when the tube is inserted into the bore. 

1. A self-aligning catheter comprising: a drainage tube including, a drainage eye adjacent the distal end of the tube, a drainage lumen extending from the proximal end of the tube to the drainage eye, a retention balloon adjacent the distal end of the tube, and an inflation lumen in the wall of the tube extending from the proximal end of the tube to the retention balloon; and a connector including, an annular sleeve at one end of the connector and defining a bore having a diameter approximately equal to the outside diameter of the tube, said sleeve receiving and frictionally engaging the proximal end of the tube in the bore, an annular shoulder extending from the sleeve and having a drainage lumen generally aligned with the tube lumen when the tube is received in the sleeve, an annular slot extending circumferentially around the shoulder lumen and extending longitudinally in the shoulder from the sleeve bore, said slot being spaced from the inner surface of the sleeve a distance approximately equal to the distance between the inflation lumen and the outside surface of the tube, whereby the shoulder slot communicates with the inflation lumen when the tube is received in the sleeve irrespective of the rotational position of the inflation lumen relative to the connector, and an inflation arm extending from the connector and having a passageway communicating with the shoulder slot, whereby the arm passageway communicates with the retention balloon through the slot and inflation lumen when the tube is received in the connector sleeve.
 2. The catheter of claim 1 wherein the proximal end of the tube terminates in a planar edge which abuts against the shoulder when the tube is received in the sleeve to cover the end of the slot adjacent the bore and prevent leakage from the slot into the bore.
 3. The catheter of claim 1 wherein the lateral width of the shoulder slot is approximately equal to the diameter of the inflation lumen.
 4. The catheter of claim 1 wherein the proximal end of the tube and the sleeve bore have a cylindrical shape.
 5. The catheter of claim 1 wherein said connector includes an annular tongue extending from the shoulder into the sleeve bore and defining an extension of the shoulder lumen, said tongue having an outside diameter approximately equal to the inside diameter of the tube lumen, whereby the proximal end of the tube is received intermediate the sleeve and tongue when the tube is inserted into the bore. 